A Warrior's Resolve
by Sarroush
Summary: In a few days, Rabona will become a battlefield. The odds of survival are frightfully slim. Will Tabitha be able to understand her feelings before it's too late? Will she be able to act on them? And what of the nun? What does she have to do in all of this? Story takes place after chapter 129. Shoujo-ai/Yuri.
1. Fear & Responsibility

**Story takes place after chapter 129.**

Ever since Tabitha was cut down and had that mini conversation with Galatea, I've been obsessed with MiriaxTabi. So I decided to write a fic about it. Now, I'm still not sure if I'll keep this as a one-shot, or continue it. Input would be nice!

I hope you enjoy!

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After having returned to Rabona, the claymores had one week to prepare for Cassandra's attack. Miria was overwhelmed by the amount of responsibility on her shoulders. She felt as though she was back in Pieta. Everyone could see this. The usually composed Miria had been occasionally raising her voice to these women as though they were mere children. They ignored it because they assumed their captain was just anxious and worried, just like them. The only person who couldn't, was Tabitha.

She went over to Miria's room on the second night and knocked gently. Miria had sensed Tabitha's presence long before the latter knocked.

"Come in."

Tabitha opened the door and walked in.

Miria was sitting in front of an empty desk, as though staring into space.

"You know...In the past..."

Miria turned around to look at Tabitha who had begun to speak.

"I was told by the people around me that claymores were monsters who had no feelings and who cut down everything in their path..."

Miria got up and walked towards Tabitha.

'"Those people clearly haven't met you." She continued.

"You flatter me."

She said plainly not sure why.

"I do."

Tabitha admitted strangely enough to which Miria couldn't help but laugh.

Tabitha smiled at this. Miria wasn't like Helen who always had a smile on her face. Her captain barely showed a smile and that is why Tabitha was happy.

Miria stopped laughing and spoke up.

"Cassandra should be here around this time tomorrow...Tabitha, you don't have to be here..."

"What are you talking abo-'"Miria raised her hand to stop her from talking.

"I cut you down. You have no reason to be here. You should hate me and resent me."

Tabitha walked closer to Miria until their faces were mere inches apart.

"You saved us. If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead at Pieta. You gave us 7 extra years. And not only that, you also saved future generations from suffering like us..."

Tabitha gulped "...Miria," she whispered. It was a first to call her captain by her name like that.

"My life belongs to you. If you wish for me to die, I will die. If you wish for me to live, I will live. However, don't you dare tell me to leave; because, even if you cut me down 200 times, I will never leave your side."

Miria looked at her surprised.

"Tabitha..."

Tabitha decided. _Now or never_, she thought.

She slowly placed her hand on Miria's cheek and began to close the distance between them, until Miria spoke.

"Your loyalty is commendable..."

Tabitha stopped a few centimeters away. She distanced herself a bit and spoke quietly, as she looked at the floor.

"Loyalty...This is more than that..."

"Hmm? I didn't hear you."

_How could you not? Liar. You're a claymore. Your hearing is supposed to be superb._ Tabitha thought, somewhat annoyed.

She turned around and began to walk out.

"It's nothing. Have a good night captain." She said as she left the room.

Once the door was closed, her back to it, she fell to her knees. She wasn't sure if it was because of what she did or because of how things turned out. But she wanted to cry. Tabitha felt like crying.

Foot steps. Someone was coming up the stairs. Before Tabitha could recompose herself, a gentle yet slightly teasing voice spoke up.

"Well...It feels like she cut you down again. "

"Very funny..."

"Why didn't you just tell her?"

Tabitha got up and walked towards the stairs. She didn't want to have this conversation.

"At least answer the question."

"Because I probably won't survive this fight."

"Tabitha..."

"Don't Tabitha me. I will not let anything happen to her. Even if it means I have to die."

She slowly began going down the stairs and added "Please, Galatea. Please, let me do this."

"Your feelings won't mean anything if you're dead!"

Galatea raised her voice. She usually wasn't one to interfere in other people's lives, however when these people were the same she considered family, she could not sit back and do nothing: especially when the situation revolved around a certain number 31.

"Tabitha..."

"I don't want to hear it, Galatea."

Tabitha's words were final. She walked down the stairs to join the others.

As Galatea watched her go, the door Tabitha was in front of a moment ago slowly opened. No one got out.

But that did not stop Galatea who spoke very clearly.

"You don't deserve her."

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Thanks for reading~

As I was writing this, I came to realize that Claymore fics are generally harder to write compared to other series, probably given not a lot of characterization is given to the cast, which is a clear shame.

Anyways, reviews are most appreciated. Please let me know if I should continue or not.


	2. Confused & Conflicted

**A/N: I really didn't think it would take this long to update. I was busy with one of my other fics and then midterms got the best of me throughout January. In any event, I probably won't make this longer than 3-4 chapters. Still, enjoy.**

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_"You don't deserve her."_

Miria felt hollow as she went down the stairs. She slowly glanced around the rowdy room. Helen was getting herself drunk. Deneve was scolding her, as usual. Cynthia and Yuma were talking with Cid, while Clare and Raki made up for their lost times with decent conversation. The scene was made rowdier by Galk and fellow soldiers getting drunk. The Phantom did not blame any of them, as there was a chance none would survive the upcoming battle.

That's right. She did not blame them. She had no right to feel angry either. Looking past the dining table to the fireplace, she saw Galatea standing behind the couch of a sitting Tabitha, her hands on the latter's shoulders. Stifling a growl, she turned around to go back to her room. What stopped her was hearing Galatea's whisper.

"Tabitha...Let me make you forget about her."

Miria felt Tabitha slightly shiver. She turned her head towards them, seeing a slight flush on Tabitha's cheeks. Galatea wrapped her arms gently around Tabitha's neck and whispered once more.

"Tabitha. You deserve better than her. All she'll do is leave you crippled like before."

"Are you supposed to be the better alternative?" Tabitha let out her voice a bit raspy.

"I'll be whatever you want me to be," Galatea let out with a hint of sadness.

Tabitha turned to look at the blind nun, however an unexpected a pair of lips gently crossed hers. Tabitha's eyes widened in shock. Galatea had just...kissed...her? No. She was still kissing her. Something poked at Tabitha's closed lips making her gasp and open her mouth. A wet, strong, confident tongue began tangling with her shy, surprised, unsure one.

Tabitha wouldn't kiss her back, right? There is no way she would. These thoughts went through Miria's head and she began to feel sick. As she continued to stare at the scene, she felt Tabitha's confidence rise. She gripped Galatea's robe and brought her closer as her kissing became more fervent and needy. Right as Miria was going to turn away and leave, Tabitha quickly pushed the nun away.

"Tabitha," Galatea gently spoke while catching her breath, but was cut off by Tabitha's raised hand.

"Thank you. Thank you, Galatea. But I can't do this," Tabitha said as she got up from her seat, her breath heavy.

She placed her hands on Galatea's chest, calming herself and spoke quietly but confidently, "I made up my mind seven years ago. And it's not going to change anytime soon. We have a fight that needs winning, and I have a captain that needs protecting. I can't let things like this distract me. But thank you."

As she removed her hands from Galatea and turned to leave, she saw Miria with slightly wide eyes looking at her, a sligt tremble going through her body.

"Captain..." Tabitha whispered as she walked closer to Miria.

Miria had no idea what to do. She had heard everything, and all it did was make her feel worse. She swiftly turned around and made her way upstairs to her room as Tabitha called for her to stop.

"Captain, open the door! Captain! Please open the door!" Tabitha was banging repeatedly and loudly but to no avail. She had no intention of breaking the door. The room downstairs had quieted considerably and sounds could be heard on the stairs. Tabitha slid herself down in front of the door, her fist still on it.

_I screwed up. I screwed up big time. At least...Let me have some time with her. Just a few minutes before all the fighting begins..._

She was unsure who she was talking to. The footsteps stopped in front of her as she slowly looked up.

"Clare..." she whispered.

"Miria, I need to talk to you," Clare ignored Tabitha's presence. Well, that's what the ex-number 31 thought at least.

The door slowly slid open. Tabitha didn't move or look inside. She found the wooden floor interesting enough to stare at. Clare moved over her and went into the room, closing the door behind her.

"What am I doing?" Tabitha said to herself, not expecting an answer.

"Embracing your human side," a voice resounded next to her.

Slowly looking towards the voice, she saw Cynthia and Yuma crouched next to her, the former, a big grin on her face.

"Cynthia...What do you mean?" Tabitha asked as she got up and made her way to her room. The two warriors followed suit.

"Well, you like the Captain don't you?" The ex-number 14 asked as she moved to sit on Tabitha's bed.

Tabitha quickly looked away, "Is that even liking someone? I feel so incompetent..."

"Well, no one can blame you for that...We weren't taught what these feelings mean..." Yuma mumbled, grabbing a seat on the chair next to her.

"Though, that was a pretty...dare I call it, exciting scene with Galatea," Cynthia said with a smug look.

"I'm surprised. I never thought Galatea the type to like...anyone, really," Yuma said trying to understand how the nun felt.

"Tabitha, talk to Miria and Galatea and get all of this sorted out. Because we both know you're going to regret it later on," Cynthia spoke gently with worry.

A few instances of silence passed between them as Tabitha made her way onto the edge of the bed. They suddenly heard the door to Miria's room slowly creak open. Clare come out and walked towards Tabitha's open door.

"Clare!" Cynthia exclaimed as she went up to her.

"What happened to your face?" Yuma spoke in surprise.

"I'm fine. Don't worry. Miria just lost her temper."

This surprised the three in the room. Miria lost her temper? Miria never lost her temper...Clare must have said something to rile her up.

Ignoring their surprised looks, she turned to Tabitha, "You should go see her. Though I can't promise she's in a good mood."

"Why are you doing this?" Tabitha whispered.

"Isn't it obvious? We need Miria. If things don't get sorted out between you two, who knows how many needless casualties there will be. Take responsibility, Tabitha. And get all this fixed," Clare turned around and walked away, heading back downstairs.

"We should go too. We don't want everyone upstairs, and they have enough worries already. Tabitha, you should go talk to Miria," Cynthia looked to her. Tabitha was looking yet again at the very interesting wooden floor.

"I know," she whispered as her two companions left the room.

Closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath, she decided it was time to come clean. She had no idea what to expect in the morning, and she did not want any regrets. She just hoped that Miria felt as she did, for Tabitha was tired of feeling so hollow.

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**A/N : Reviews are always welcome. **

**I might re-upload this chapter if I see it needs some more editing.**


	3. Love & Priority

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait! This one's a bit longer than the other two, though I don't think that's actually a bad thing! In any event, hope you enjoy.

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"How long are you going to keep this up?"

Clare spoke firmly as her eyes began to survey the room. These rooms were fairly simple, only having the minimum furniture needed. A single-sized bed in the middle, a nightstand with a small lamp on it next to the bed, and a small desk and chair in the corner of the room. You couldn't make an awfully big mess in such a simple room. Or at least Clare had thought. Clearly, she concluded that she was wrong. It looked as though a tornado had passed through Miria's room. There was broken glass and dirt everywhere. The desk had been smashed, and the chair was nowhere to be found. Miria was standing in front of the now ripped-to-shreds bed, hissing and shaking.

"What do you want?" She asked with anger in her voice.

Clare walked up to the bed and observed her agitated captain. Sighing, she opened her mouth to talk, only to be at a loss for words. A few moments passed in silence until Miria spoke.

"You look like a fool with your mouth open like that," she said, having calmed down enough to stop shaking. Clare closed her mouth along with her eyes and gritted her teeth. She had no idea what to say. She knew the reason she had barged into Miria's room, but she had no idea how to convey her thoughts.

"If you have nothing to say, you should just leave."

"Galatea told me what you did before heading out to the Organization's HQ."

The guilt-stricken Miria looked to the floor, however quickly shook her head and starred Clare down.

"I don't have to justify my actions to you."

"I don't care. I really don't. But I saw that little scene Tabitha had with Galatea and how you stormed out of the room like a jealous teenager."

"Wha?!" Miria was taken aback and tried to hide her blush by looking away.

"Guess what, Miria," Clare spoke looking at her indifferently.

Miria cleared her throat, "What?"

"You're going to lose Tabitha to a blind nun. How does that make you feel?"

Blind unexplainable anger filled Miria as she landed a hard punch on Clare's unmoving face. Quickly moving over to the fallen warrior, she grabbed her right shoulder and punched her again and again and again. Clare finally had enough of Miria's pathetic attempt to relieve stress, and stopped her punch by grabbing her wrist.

"Who does she think she is?! That stupid woman! Pretending she deserves what is rightfully mine!" Miria exclaimed, trying to get free from Clare's grasp.

"Rightfully yours? Tabitha doesn't belong to you. What the hell is wrong with you Miria?!" Clare tightened the grip she had on her captain.

"I rebelled! I fought back! I saved those girls! I deserve something in return! I deserve Tabitha!" Miria knew full well what she was saying made zero sense. But she needed something. No matter how nonsensical. She needed something to justify her jealousy and her need. She wanted Tabitha. For however long it had been, she had wanted the young warrior all to herself. She closed her eyes trying to calm herself.

Her legs gave out and Clare let her wrist go. The captain stumbled to the floor and began to mumble, "Destroying the organization...Sure...part of it was because of the lies, deceit and manipulation of young girls...but that was the only way I knew of to protect her. It was the only way I could make sure she was safe! There would be no point to it if she followed me. And I was going to kill humans! I KILLED humans! There is no way I'd have allowed her to do such a thing even if she was capable of it at the time! I didn't want to taint her even more! She deserves better than this life...All of you deserve better than this."

Letting out her breath, Clare whispered, "And you don't?"

Punching the floor under her, Miria let out a shaky response, "I failed her. I failed Hilda. Hilda of all people! I don't deserve a happy ending! Especially with someone like Tabitha. I want her, but I don't deserve her. She's better off with Galatea...And that drives me mad. Someone else touching her, holding her, whispering sweet nothings to her...!" She punched the glass covered floor repeatedly until shards went into her knuckles causing her to bleed. "I have no right to be jealous if Tabitha chooses Galatea. But what she said downstairs...I'm supposed to be the one to protect her! I'm supposed to be the one to look after her. I'm her captain damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Another few punches left a dent in the floor. At this point, Clare assumed Miria could no longer feel her hand.

"Miria. I don't care what you do. Just get your twisted logic sorted out before you cost us more than your life."

'_There isn't anything I can do for her. She's stuck in her own little guilt-stricken world... I'm sorry I can't help you Miria...'_

Clare turned around to leave. She hoped Tabitha would be capable of saving Miria from all the self-guilt and blame.

"You're our Captain. We all need you in top shape. Please do your best to clear this issue," Clare opened the door to leave right when Miria spoke.

"I'll be fine. Things like this...There is no way I'd let them get in the way of a battle. Especially not when there are so many lives at risk. And...I'm sorry. For punching you," Clare briefly turned around to see Miria looking away from her. Letting out a small smile, she closed the door behind her as she left.

'_That's one down. Two to go,' _Clare thought to herself as she made her way to the open door leading to Tabitha's room, holding her jaw.

"Clare!" Cynthia exclaimed as she walked up to Clare.

"What happened to your face?" Yuma spoke in surprise.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about it. Miria just lost her temper."

This surprised the three in the room. Miria lost her temper? Miria never lost her temper...Clare must have said something to rile her up.

Ignoring their surprised looks, she turned to Tabitha, "You should go see her. Though I can't promise she's in a good mood."

Looking at Clare, Tabitha whispered, "Why are you doing this?"

"Isn't it obvious? We need Miria. If things don't get sorted out between you two, who knows how many needless casualties there will be. Take responsibility, Tabitha. And get all this sorted out," Clare turned around and walked away, heading back downstairs.

'_Two down, one to go. I owe them for saving me and reuniting me with Raki...But this is just crazy. I wonder if Teresa ever had to do this... Somehow, I don't see her as a mediator. Irene maybe..._'

Clare let out a sad smile as she thought back to the two women who had gotten her this far. She stopped once she got to the first floor and closed her eyes, recalling a memory of the time she had spent with Teresa.

"Yo! Clareeee! Woah! What happened to your face?!"

She was brought back to the present by Helen's hyperactive and drunk voice.

"What's going on? What's up with Miria? Did she get all jealous because of that earlier make-out session?" She spoke with a stupid grin on her face that immediately reverted to an intimidated one when she felt Galatea's anger.

"I get it! I get it! Stop glaring at me!"

"You do realize I'm blind, right?"

"Well you're called "God-eye" for something! Relax, relax! I was just joking! Blame the alcohol!"

Galatea shook her head as she made for the kitchen. She needed to tolerate these kinds of people whether she wanted to or not. They were her sisters after all. Clare followed suit.

"Galatea. We need to talk."

Galatea, her back to Clare, spoke up, "Is this about Tabitha and Miria?"

"What else would it be about?" Clare said anger slowly trickling in her voice.

Galatea shrugged as she poured herself a glass of wine and turned around to leave the kitchen, only to have her path obstructed.

"I said we need to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you," the nun replied nonchalantly as she sipped her wine.

"Why are you doing this?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why are you getting in between those two?!"

"Aren't I allowed to want someone? Are you, Tabitha and Miria the only ones who have the right to fall in love?"

"We both know that isn't the case. And we also know that you aren't in love with Tabitha."

Letting out a small smile, Galatea asked, "And how would you be so sure of that?"

Clare looked at her firmly and spoke, "Because of the way you look at her. I have no idea what you're trying to accomplish, but you don't look at her like you love her. You don't look at her like Miria does."

"Aside from the fact that I don't have eyes to "look" with, tell me Clare. How DOES Miria look at Tabitha?"

Clare knew Galatea was messing with her. The ex-warrior was completely aware of what Clare was talking about. However, before she was able to think of a retort, Cynthia walked in on them and started hammering Clare with questions about her conversation with Miria.

Galatea used this opportunity to walk past them and leave the kitchen, however not before turning her head to Clare and ever slowly saying, "What I'm trying to "accomplish" is none of your business, little warrior."

The nun made her way up the stairs just as Tabitha was making her way to Miria's room. In one swift motion, Galatea had Tabitha pinned to the wall next to the Captain's chambers, her knee crushing into the girl's warmth.

"G-Galatea?!"

Tabitha was baffled, not expecting the current development.

The blind nun said nothing; instead she began laying kisses on the surprised warrior's neck.

"Galatea...Please, stop," Tabitha was trying her best to fight back, but Galatea's experienced hands made her melt. Getting out of her grasp would be a failed effort, so she ended up wrapping her arms around the nun's back and hid her face in the woman's neck.

"It's ok, Tabitha. I won't hurt you," as she said this, Galatea felt wetness on her shoulder as the girl in her arms began to shudder and whimper. "Forgive me," Galatea whispered, kissing Tabitha's cheek gently.

Tabitha didn't know what Galatea wanted, but she didn't mind the contact, so long as she thought of the person she really wanted. "Can I...Can I pretend you're her?" Tabitha let out quietly.

'_I'm sorry for using you like this Tabitha... Please forgive me.'_

"Yes. I'll be whoever you want me to b-"Sensing the killer instinct and feeling the punch land on her face happened nearly in unison, so quick that Galatea had no time to dodge. She was sent tumbling into Tabitha's open room.

'_Took her a while._'

Tabitha saw and Galatea sensed Miria's anger. She was seething. She wanted the nun's blood covering her hands, and she wanted it then and there.

"You made her cry," each word had a hint of disgust in it directed at the woman in front of her.

Galatea got up and wiped her blood tarnished lips with a quick motion of her thumb.

"If that's what you truly believe, we have more problems on our hands than I initially thought," the nun let out from the room.

Miria quickly grabbed Tabitha's arm and took her to a vacant room. Once inside, she slammed the door shut and threw the younger woman onto the lone bed. Tabitha landed on her back, looking at the ceiling, trying to process what just happened, is happening and will happen. The Phantom was now, beyond conflicted. Though Galatea hadn't explicitly stated it, she had implied that Miria was the one who had made Tabitha cry.

She stuck her back to the wall in front of the bed and went down, hugging her knees.

'_I can't be a leader when I'm distracted like this. I need to deal with Tabitha...I just don't know how.'_

Tabitha lifted her upper body with her elbows and looked at the site in front of her. She wasn't sure what to make of it. She wanted to get up, walk over to Miria, and comfort her. However, another part of her wanted to get out of the room, and go butcher Galatea. What the hell did the nun think she was doing?! Trying to ravish her out of nowhere. They had barely talked to each other when they were in the organization. So why now?! What had changed?! Had anything changed? Or was this just some stupid ploy to ...

'_Ploy...Could she actually be planning something? But what?'_

Shaking her head, she got up and decided to leave without looking towards Miria. She wanted answers and she was going to get them. However, the moment her hand touched the doorknob, an immense weight pinned her hands to each side of the door for two seconds and then let go. Tabitha turned around to a wide eyed Miria.

"Captain?" She whispered, as though Miria was a fragile animal.

Miria calmed as much as she could and looking away, she quietly let out, "Don't leave...Please." She needed Tabitha near her, even if they weren't touching. The other woman's presence would be enough to calm her, to make her think rational-...What? That wouldn't make any sense. Her earlier behaviour was because of Tabitha. All of her irrationalities were because of her! Tabitha was clearly driving her insane. Nothing she said to convince herself of anything made sense anymore. Miria. Composed ninety-nine point nine nine nine nine nine nine nine percent of the time. So what the hell was going on?! What was it about this girl that made her act like a child? She couldn't think anymore. She didn't know what she wanted or why.

'_This is bad. Very bad. We have to be at our best when the fighting starts and here I am letting feelings get the better of me.' _

Taking a very deep breath and exhaling, she moved away to give Tabitha space to leave the room.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what got over me. That was very childish behaviour and I hope you can forget about it. You can leave now."

Tabitha was confused. A moment ago she felt Miria needed to be comforted, and now she was acting completely stoic. Mechanical. What the hell was going on here?! Were she and Galatea being controlled by Yoma? Because it certainly made no sense otherwise. Frustration built in Tabitha. Enough was enough. She left the room and saw a crowd forming around her chamber.

Sensing Tabitha's anger, Helen grabbed Deneve and rushed downstairs. Cynthia and Yuma followed suit with Raki and Cid. Only Clare remained between her and Galatea who hadn't moved from her spot.

"Let's get something straight," Clare spoke with clear irritation in her voice. "If this problem isn't solved by tomorrow morning, I'm shipping all three of you to the Mainland. And I'm not joking." She went downstairs before either could respond.

Galatea couldn't help but let out a quiet laugh while Tabitha blinked repeatedly. Shaking her head moments later, she looked sternly at the nun and walked up to her.

"We need to talk. Now."

The nun pointed to the door as she sat down on the bed, indicating that Tabitha should close it behind her.

"What exactly are you plotting, Galatea?"

"Why would you assume I'm plotting anything at all?"

"This entire night hasn't made even an ounce of sense. As though Miria's behaviour isn't strange enough, yours isn't helping."

"Miria's been out of herself since you guys came to Rabona," she sighed. "When she cut you, at first I wasn't sure why. Was it because she thought you couldn't kill humans? That you'd jeopardize the mission? Though of course, I did tell you when you woke up, that if Miria asked you to kill humans, you would undoubtedly follow her orders."

Tabitha nodded as she went to sit down next to the nun, "Of course I would."

Looking at the girl next to her, the blind nun let out, "Do you know why?"

"Because she-"

Galatea lifted her hand. Tabitha immediately stopped speaking. "Because she's a good captain, will do anything for the warriors and wants what's best for those new girls being collected by the organization. You would follow her because you admire her and want to be like her one day, in strength and intelligence...Is that what you were going to say?"

Tabitha didn't know how to respond. If she had been asked that before or during the battle of Pieta, she would have said something along those lines. But at that moment, she felt something was missing. She wanted to add something to Galatea's answer. She had once admitted it to herself a long time ago, but was frightened of thinking about it again, even though she was constantly haunted by what she felt. When Galatea had touched and kissed her, all she could think of was her Captain pinning her to the wall and ravishing her. She had no idea what word to associate with what she was feeling. She would have said "love", but was that really love? How could she know what she was feeling was love and not some twisted form of admiration because of their survival?

When it was clear that Tabitha would not respond, Galatea spoke once more, "She didn't want you there because failure would be more likely when she would have to think about whether or not you're safe."

"What? Are you saying she doesn't believe in my abilities? Because I really don't buy that." Tabitha felt Galatea had insulted both her and Miria with that statement.

"No. You can be as strong a warrior as any number one, and she would still worry about your safety. She would have prioritized you over the rebellion. She would always be slightly distracted wondering if you were holding your ground, if you were safe. Which is perfectly normal for anyone in her situation."

"She was perfectly fine when we were fighting those revived number ones!" Tabitha got up. Galatea had insulted Miria's ability to be a proper, headstrong leader. She had insulted Miria. That was unforgiveable.

"Tabitha. Don't get in over your head. At the end of the day, we are all humans, no matter how you want to look at it or twist it. Our feelings can easily get in the way of our responsibilities," Galatea stood in front of the door in a blink of an eye. "The development between you two is terrifyingly slow. Miria needs to know she can trust you to take care of yourself. She needs to know to stop worrying about you long enough to do her job. That's where you come in. Tabitha, she needs to understand that winning this battle comes before looking out for you."

"Do you think I don't know that?" Both of them turned to the door. Neither had realized it had opened. "Do you think I don't know my priorities?"

The captain was standing in front of the door with a cool expression; however the air around her was one of anger.

"Miria-," Galatea began to speak, only to be interrupted.

"I respect that you felt the need to bud into this, and 'speed up' the development, but you've done enough for a life time. What were you trying to do? Were you making out with her so I'd be jealous? So I'd emphasis my position in this relationship? You were right about my actions, and you were right about my feelings, however, it is also my duty to safeguard these girls. Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming battle, I will not lose any of them, and this includes Tabitha as well. And as childish as it may be, it's a promise, one I intend to keep."

As Galatea made her way out of the door, she whispered into Miria's ear, "Try not to make promises even you aren't sure you can keep."

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**A/N:** I tried not to make the three leads too OOC. I was trying to show a bit of their more emotional side though. Let's hope I didn't screw up. Hopefully, it doesn't take me another century to write the next chapter. Keep a look out for it, as it's going to be the last one!


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